Reaper
by Mtcoin
Summary: Sometimes you need to defy death to be a hero.
1. Chapter 1

He was fifteen when Izuku Midoriya died.

A terrible, silent scream escaped his lips as sludge filled his lungs.

In other universes, All Might would come to save him, in a different timeline he would live through this encounter mostly unharmed.

In this world though, villains ruled. There was no All Might, no symbol of peace, no mother to cradle him in her arms. There was only the strong and dead bodies they left in their wake.

Izuku Midoriya was a simple child at heart until recently he had lived on the streets as most children did in this world.

He still remembered when it was different though. He remembered going to school, hugging his mom, playing with his friends, he also recalled the death of the man who would be the symbol of peace the world had needed.

He remembered the death of his mom that had followed shortly after too. The warm blood that had been plastered onto his face as the robbers carved up his mothers body. The wicked grins they sported as they approached him.

But that was a story for another time.

Now after surviving nearly eight years on the streets alone, Midoriya's life was coming to an end.

"That's it, boy, I knew I smelled a thief when our supplies kept going missing. Little brats like you are always causing trouble, sneaking around and stealing anything that isn't bolted down."

Midoriya had known it was a trap when he had seen the crate of food just laying under the bridge, but hunger had been driving him to the brink of insanity over and over. He had made a mad dash for it, intending to take as much as he could before retreating to his makeshift shelter in the alleyway.

He was caught the second he had grabbed the first piece. The rolling green ooze rapping around his body before he could even react. Weak from hunger, and quirkless there was little his tired body could do.

His eyes closed for the final time in his life. The sickening sludge was finally fulfilling its purpose as his body went limp in the sludge villain's body.

And when all seemed hopeless in his life, his blackened vision broke as white light shown through clearing away the darkness.

"Are you tired?" A voice could be heard in his mind, and for a fraction of a moment, Midoriya had dared to hope that he had finally died.

"Are you tired?" The voice repeated its question; its gentle voice seemed to be waiting for his response. "Yes. Yes, I'm so tired." His voice rang in his mind louder and louder as it seemed to bounce off of nothing. He covered his ears as the defining sound drove him further towards insanity.

"What are tired of?" Another question, and despite the defining sound of his own voice still repeating in the air he heard her loud and clear.

It was a simple question, but Midoriya found himself unable to answer. He thought for a long time as the voice repeated the question once more.

"Everything. Of being weak, of being helpless, of the world. I'm tired of it all." His new answer mixed in with the old swirling around him and only adding to the already defining noise.

For once the voice was quiet, letting him drown in his thoughts. And then at once, it spoke again.

"If you had a chance would you change your fate?" Now the voices of others entered his mind, of those alive, of those who were lost, of those were forgotten, and of those he had already heard.

"You can never do it..."  
"All you can ever do is fail..."  
"Your life is meaningless..."  
"You're weak.."  
"You're helpless..."  
"Everything... Of being weak, of being helpless, of the world... I'm tired of it all..."

His words and those of the others were never-ending, assaulting his senses over and over. He wanted to scream and cry; he wanted to be held in his mother's arms. He wanted it to END.

"If you had a chance would you change your fate?" The question was repeated, and for once the voice changed. It now boomed in his mind, his head pulsating under strain.

"End it..."  
"You're not worth it..."  
"It's all your fault..."  
"Please let it end..."

"If you had a chance would you change your fate!?" Now the voice shrieked demanding an answer from him. He wanted to speak, but his voice escaped him, and with one forceful push, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"YES!"

And as one the voices stopped their torment. The world around him now fell silent, only the sound of his strangled breaths remained.  
Footsteps. He heard footsteps off in the distance slowly making their way towards him, and following them was a figure cloaked all in white, the pale light shining off of them nearly blinded the young boy.

The figure approached him at a near leisurely pace until it stood in front of him, and as the light faded from their body, the slim appearance of a woman came forward. Her voice was as soft as velvet as she slowly wrapped her arms around the boy whispering tender words of encouragement to him as he wept.

When he finally calmed she retracted her arms before she held out her hand. Her next words would stay with the boy until he eventually met his end.

"Raise your head my child for your task is not done. There will come a time when you may finally rest but today is not that day. You will face hardships like no one before you ever have, but you will push through, you must push through — you who have chosen to defy fate and make your own path in life. I wish you luck young Midoriya, now take my hand, and forge your destiny."

His hand reached up before clasping her own, smiling as he felt a warm rush through his entire body.

When he opened his eyes, he was back under the bridge. He gasped bringing in as much air as he could as his dark eyes scanned the surroundings.

Finally, his eyes locked with his target, the sludge villain had been leisurely walking away from the scene of the murder.

Silently he stood from his downed position smiling all the while.

Blood dripped down his arm, falling quietly onto the cracked asphalt below. And then it started to take form. The previously liquid blood slowly began to come together and formed into one long pole stretching on and on until it formed around his hand and began to curve into a long shining red blade, taking its shape in the form of a long-bladed scythe.

Its long blood red blade dragged across the ground behind him as he approached the villain, and with a small grin, he brought it do9wn on the unsuspecting man.

With a wide arch, it cleaved deep into his unguarded back parting the semi-liquid body of the sludge villain. A scream of pain retched its way from the man's mouth as he turned swinging towards the boy.

A small jump backward and Midoriya found himself out of harm's way. The grin on his face never faltering.

"YOU! How is this... You're supposed to be dead!" The villain's voice was strained, his body should have reformed by now, but the cut on his back remained.

Midoriya said nothing as he moved forward his once forest green hair had turned white, and his acidic green eyes turned a shade of red that rivaled even his scythe.

"Death came for me yes, it knocked at my door and called my name, but even so I had to turn her away. Her embrace was warm, gentle even. But something tells me it won't be the same for you. Death came knocking for me, but for you, it's going to tear down the walls."

His voice was even, and the warm smile he had on his face defied his actions.

"S-Stay away! Stay away from me!" The villain trembled in fear as he scooted backward trying to put some distance between himself and the boy.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see I have been tasked to defy the fate of this world, and because of that, I must go on a crusade to destroy the evil that has tainted this country. I will never sleep until this job is done."

Suddenly his scythe swung out in one quick motion, slicing its way through his liquid body.

"And neither shall you."

With that, he walked on leaving the corpse of the villain on the ground, as he walked he said one final word towards the deceased man.

"ARISE."

And suddenly the corpse started moving.

It was on this day that Izuku Midoriya died.

And Reaper was born.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I've always wondered about the top heroes of the other countries in the BNHA universe, because as it stands every one of the top ten heroes live in Japan.**

**So my theory for it is simple, All Might is Japan's and the World's top hero, but there are Number One heroes in other places too. So England has it's own top hero, same for America, Russia, Germany, and the rest of the "Major" countries. I say Major because I don't know the names of every country in the world.**

* * *

Midoriya stood underneath the crumbling bridge as he stared at the destruction around him. His battle with the sludge villain had been brief but brutal. The road around them had been cracked from their fight, and blood laid splattered across the pavement.

His scythe slowly began to lose its shape falling back into its liquid form. He let out a shuddering breath as his adrenalin rush began to subside. His white hair and red eyes fading back into its previously green color.

He stumbled, barely keeping himself standing as his body collapsed.

A wet sliding sound could be heard to his side, and when he turned to find the source, he stared at the body of the deceased sludge villain. His previously slimy green skin had turned to a rolling black fog that seemed to swallow the light around it, and his eyes and mouth now glowed with a pale, haunting blue light.

The body moved towards him slowly before slipping under his arm and raising his body to support the young boy. Midoriya smiled despite the situation, rubbing the top of the dead man's head like you would a dog.

"Looks like you finally did something useful for once in your life." The corpse cooed at him as if purring under the boy's affection.

"Now then, looks like its time to go home."

With his body supported by his new companion, Midoriya stumbled towards his original prize, the crate of food. Grabbing what he needed for the next few weeks, he returned to his makeshift home in a nearby alleyway.

He slid down the wall of the alley letting his tired body rest for a moment as he pulled out his meal for the day. A simple package of preserved food, it wasn't tasty by any means, but it would settle his empty stomach.

The sludge corpse settled next to him lying for a moment before its body began to fade, disappearing into the either.

"Guess I'm alone again... Great."

He stood his from his spot on the ground sighing as he did so. Slowly he made his way out of the alleyway into the street, stumbling along the way. The road was lined with the poor and weak, those whose quirks had no place among the strong a common sight in this world without heroes.

He remembered why it had all happened, All Might's death at the hands of the ex-number two hero. Endeavors betrayal had turned the tides n All Might's fight against a powerful villain known as "All for One," and though Midoriya had never seen the man himself, he knew he was the technical overlord of Japan.

Endeavor had taken his "rightful" place as one of All for One's top brass. It seemed he would always be number two in this world no matter what he did.

The other heroes from around the world had come to Japan to try and stop them, but even the top heroes from the United League of Heroes had been crushed. Englands top hero "King Arthur" and his "Knights of the Round Table" had been the last to fall along with America's number one hero "Screaming Eagle." It had been a crushing defeat for the heroes.

And Midoriya had been there to witness it all.

He still remembered the screams of the heroes as All for One forcefully stole their quirks.

The sight of Screaming Eagles vocal cords being torn out and King Arthur being impaled by his own sword.

Those memories still haunted him.

It was futile, the Heroes last stand that had lead to the current anarchy of the world. If the heroes had stayed in their own countries, then it would have only been Japan that had fallen.

They didn't though, and with their death, the only threat to All for One's takeover had been crushed. He had assigned his most powerful subordinates to the different countries, creating a sort of hierarchy with him at the top and the others directly below him.

The issue became more apparent when he had moved his "Capital" to a completely different country, leaving Japan to Endeavor, a reward for his betrayal.

Well, that just made his job all the easier.

He glanced down at his phone the cracked screen glowing with a fate light as he checked the time. It was still early enough in the morning for him to make a patrol.

The streets remained the same as they always had, well at least at first glance. There was something about the air that told him to be cautious, and even the civilians seemed to be on edge.

Rounding a corner he had the reason.

In front of him, he saw a group of at least five men surrounding a girl who couldn't have been much older than him. Dirty blonde hair hung in messy buns on the sides of her head, and deep yellow cat-like eyes stared at the group in fear.

No... Not fear. He wasn't sure why but something about her made him think of a snake ready to strike. This girl was dangerous, every fiber of his being told him that. Yet, she seemed so tired as if standing was consuming all of her remaining energy.

The group moved towards the downed girl, they spoke, but he was to focused on her eyes to listen. When they got within arm's length of her, he found himself moving on his own. His blood forcefully tearing its way out of his arm it formed a scythe one more, and with almost pinpoint accuracy he sliced through the stone-like skin of the nearest man.

He could have ignored it, in all honesty, he should have. Yet when he saw her eyes in that one moment, he felt nothing but fear. Those men were going to die, and him stepping in had not been for her but to spare the group from a long, torturous death.

His movement had been enough to startle everyone; even the girl looked surprised by his sudden appearance.

His hair once again changed color, turning into a forest of white snow. Crimson red eyes burrowed deep into the souls of the men.

They were going to die, and everyone present knew that.

The braver of the remaining four charged, his body coated in smooth blue scales. If the weapon had been normal perhaps the scales would have worked, sadly for the man that was not the case as Midoriya's scythe carved a bloody swath through them. His body moved forward for a few seconds more before it crumpled into a heap behind him.

The others backed up trying to put some distance between themselves and the scythe-wielding teen.

The familiar feeling of slime slowly wrapped around his body as the darkened figure of the sludge villain slid out from within his shadow.

He stepped forward, his footsteps causing heavy echo's throughout the street, the few bystanders that remained cast nervous glances at each other.

The teen in front of them seemed unnatural as if he was there but shouldn't have been; everything about him reeked of death and the smoldering blackness that was his companion only masked the despair the boy's very existence seemed to create.

They were staring at death, and the men knew it well.

His red eyes that shown like fresh blood stared deep holes into the remaining three men, and when he finally spoke it was one simple word.

"Run."

And that was all the men needed to hear.

They scattered trying desperately to get away from the monster of a child that had slaughtered two of their members.

He turned to stare at the blonde headed girl, locking gaze with her slightly stunned expression, and then he turned speaking not another word.

Then he turned to leave the alleyway with one word hanging in the air.

"ARISE."

In front of her, the bodies of the men began to rise from the ground. Black tar-like substance clawed its way out from inside the body flowing freely from their mouth before it slathered itself over his body.

Their flesh took on the color, turning as black as the night sky and their eyes began to glow with a pale blue light.

The transformation had been a slow, gruesome process, and when it finally ended the began to move, carrying themselves out of the alleyway.

The girl reached out her hand desperately trying to grab onto the retreating man's clothes. She tried to call out, but her voice had gone hoarse from thirst, she tried to move further, but famine claimed that last bit of her fleeting energy. And with what remained of her strength she called out one word.

"Wait."

His body stopped for just long enough to turn to look at her before he carried on again, leaving the girl to her fate in the alley.

And at last, fatigue claimed the girl's conscious mind, leaving her body to slump forward on to the pavement.

Midoriya had heard a thump behind him, and for a moment he feared the men had come back, but when he turned all that remained was the girl's unconscious body.

He should have left her there; he was no hero; there were no heroes anymore.

He should leave, everything about the girl had unsettled him, he should have feared the consequences of taking her with him.

But when he picked her up, all of those fears disappeared, leaving only the girl who was nestled in his arms.

He left after that, turning to return to his home in his abandoned apartment.

He needed to tidy up.

It had been a while since someone had lived there with him.


	3. The end At least for now

So this story probably won't be continued but I figured I'd give reference to what it was loosely inspired by. A shounen by the name of solo leveling. I highly recommend it. I don't know maybe I'll keep writing on it but I recently sprained my wrist so it's a little difficult to type.


	4. Chapter 4

Her eyes fluttered open under the pale light that glowed in the room. Her body felt heavy as if her arms were made of lead, and her head was swimming in an ocean of pain.

Her eyes felt heavy too, and all she wanted was to go back to sleep, but she couldn't, her body wouldn't let her.

Slowly and with tremendous effort, she rose from her bed, except she couldn't.

Blood red chains had bound her arms and legs to the bedposts. She struggled against them in a futile attempt to free herself. The chains only tightened in response.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice sounded strained, tired as if it was forcing itself to stay awake.

She glanced to the side, staring at the white-haired boy that was sitting on a couch opposite to her.

Tired red eyes glared at her as if they were staring right into her soul. This man was familiar, but where she had seen him, her tired mind couldn't place.

She struggled again trying to sit up to get a proper look at the man.

He reeked of death as if his entire body was just a rotting corpse, but disturbingly enough it didn't seem like it was only coming from him. The room itself smelled of the sickly sweet scent of decay.

The shadows around her seemed to be moving in place, and in a few spots, she swore she saw glowing blue lights. She wanted to ask him something, anything, but her voice wouldn't leave her throat.

He stood suddenly walking over to a shelf near the side, grabbing a can of preserved food and a bottle of water he made his way back over to the girl.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, and if you answer them honestly, then I'll give you some food and water. Deal?"

She had little right to refuse in this situation. She nodded slowly, unsure of what he was going to say.

"Alright, first question, were you apart of their gang?"

She shook her head, no.

"Good girl, here."

He extended his arm slowly, the bottle of water resting in his palm. She snatched it quickly draining half of the container in one go.

"Now, do you feel any pain anywhere?"

She tested her voice once more it was hoarse, but at least now it came out.

"No, No, I'm fine."

He smiled for the first time throughout the entire experience, and she felt the chains loosen around her body.

"What did they want with you?"

That was probably the hardest question to answer if she told the truth, would he accept it? If she told a lie, would he even notice? She decided to try the second choice.

"I stole food. They couldn't let a thief getaway."

The chains tightened in an instant, and another wrapped itself around her throat, cutting off her airflow. She tried to grab at them, but they sliced into her fingers, dripping slick blood down her hands. It only tightened more.

"Answer me." Those words were firm but not angry as if he expected her to lie to him.

The chains loosened just enough for her to be able to speak, she laid there panting for breath for a few short seconds before the question was repeated.

"It was the truth when I said I stole food." She felt the chains begin to tighten once more. She blurted the rest out quickly after that, desperately trying to appease the man.

"I was caught in the process by their boss. A-And then he tried to..." Her voice cut off, she may have been a psychopath, but there were somethings worse than death.

He remained patient though staring at her as he loosened the chains further, giving her enough slack for her to bring her knees to her chest.

"I fought back, or at least I tried his quirk 'Iron Grip' wouldn't let me move."

He knew the quirk; after all, he was the leader of a pretty big gang in the area. Iron Grip made the person unable to move so long as they were both physically weaker than himself, and he was making direct physical contact without barriers.

It was a powerful quirk when you combined it with his near monstrous strength. And it was the reason he earned the nickname the Iron Titan. Midoriya was convinced it was to rip off a children's movie though.

"H-He had to move his hands away t-to... A-And I stabbed him. I always carry a knife around with me."

She hardly noticed when the chains fell away altogether.

Gentle sobs left her as his eyes softened once more. He understood that pain, he had experienced it before as well.

He still had nightmares about the experience.

He approached the girl slowly, raising a hand to place in her shoulder.

The look in her eyes told him all he needed to know. One arm wrapped around her, pulling the girl into his chest.

She stiffened for a moment before he felt her relax against him.

The gentle sobs turned quiet, the girl succumbing to exhaustion as he laid her back down.

Well, it seemed he had work to do.

* * *

Mike "Iron Titan" Adams had been visiting Japan when everything had gone down, He had even been there to see Endeavors betrayal — watching as his flames made contact with the world's symbol of peace.

Watching while being trapped under the rubble from the fight.

At that moment, he had never been more scared in his life, and he never believed he would experience anything scarier.

Oh, how wrong he was.

It was the screams that had woken him up first, and for a moment, he found himself back to the day All Might died.

The body of a woman laid in his bed, long blonde hair hanging from he head, At one point she had been beautiful. So beautiful that he couldn't stop himself from "acquiring" her.

After all, he had a love for blonde hair.

Now she was but a shadow of her former self. Hair matted, and body covered in bruises. She had broken long ago.

So much for her becoming a hero.

He snorted as he walked outside, it was probably just some random thugs causing mayhem n his territory, he would sort them out later.

His eyes traveled to the woman in his bed once more; perhaps he had time for one more...

The bloodied head of his second in command rolled down the hall towards him.

And then it washed over him.

Fear.

Raw concentrated fear sent left his legs shaking.

He could hear scrapping coming down the hall as the screams finally stopped.

And then his assaulter came into sight.

Hair white like snow and blood-red eyes staring into his very soul.

"Arise."

That word sent shivers down his spine.

And before his eyes, he watched as his second rose from the ground, black shadow like wisps swirling around his body as he took a step forward.

In his desperation, he charged forward, all he had to do was make contact with him. There's no way a brat this small was stronger than him.

The smallest twitch of a movement and his vision went red.

He stumbled forward, no longer able to keep his balance.

And when he looked down, he saw the reason for it.

His legs lay a full foot away from his body, severed with a single swift strike.

The blood-curdling scream that escaped his lips left his throat tearing.

He crawled, trying desperately to get away from the man; if he could just make it to the main room, he could regroup with his men. One allowed him to reattach limbs. Yes if he made it, he would be fine.

The man seemed content to let him crawl, following behind him in a leisurely stroll.

* * *

Midoriya had to admit that it was mildly amusing to watch the man crawl away from him. So desperate to be saved that he forgot the fate of his men.

Was that dark?

That was probably too dark.

"Is it because of my quirk? I've never had thoughts like that before."

He pondered it aloud, the shadows in the room bending and shifting to make way for him. He watched the newest members of his army stand, staring at their once boss.

Did they pity him? Hate him? That was a question for another time.

He watched in amusement as the man tried to open the door in front of him.

Reaching forward, he opened it for him, allowing the man to crawl into the main room.

The look of dread on his face as he witnessed what had become of his gang sent an incredible feeling of glee through his body.

'Yeah that's definitely too dark, I'll have to see if I can find a psychiatrist.'

"Are you done running away now?"

* * *

Mike felt his body freeze at those words.

His body shifted, watching as the man raised his scythe once more, bringing it down on his right arm, severing it with one clean blow.

His left followed shortly after.

He didn't even have time to scream before he was lifted by his neck, now staring face to face with the man responsible for whipping out his entire gang.

"There we go, you're so loud, you know."

The whimpering that escaped his mouth sounded so pathetic to him. But perhaps he could appease the man.

"Now, now don't worry, I'm not going to kill you."

The filling of hope that filled his chest was almost sickening.

"There's someone else that deserves that honor."

And just like that the fear that he had felt when he first met the man returned.

"Have a safe trip, Mike, try to stay alive until I get back."

* * *

He handed the body to one of the shadows, who burned the flesh closed, cauterizing the wound before taking off towards his base.

'Might as well search the place. You never know when you might find something useful.'

He headed out looking around the gangs base, before finally heading into Mike's room.

What he saw left him gagging.

The woman who once laid on the bed sat crouched in the corner, cowering away from him. As if she expected him to hit her.

She didn't even look up; she probably thought he was Mike returning from the fight.

He approached standing five feet away from her.

"Stand up."

It was a command, not a request.

* * *

Her eyes turned up, staring at the man who had approached her; this wasn't Mike.

"Stand up."

His eyes glowed with hidden power, and she felt herself cower once more.

"If you want to live, stand up."

Her eyes traveled along his body; everything about him seemed dangerous. She wanted to shove herself further into the corner.

But something told her this was her last chance.

She stood, shaky legs forcing her to stumble and fall.

But as she looked up, she saw him waiting patiently.

She stood once more, stumbling forward as best she could.

Every step felt agonizing. Every breath hurt, every moment felt like she was taking to long, like her chance would disappear if she waited too long.

With one last step, she collapsed into his waiting arms, pulling her close to him as he asked one question.

"What's your name?"

She would fall unconscious any second she knew that but would he abandon her if she couldn't answer?

With one ragged breath, she let her answer slip from her lips.

"My... My name is Yu... Yu Takeyama."

For the first time, she saw him smile, a warm, kind smile that left her heart fluttering.

"Well then Yu, how about we get you out of here?"

All she could do was nod before she slipped once more into unconsciousness.

"Sleep well, Yu."


End file.
